Lionel Messi and Dani Alves capitalised on the sending off of Martin Demichelis as Barcelonaleft Manchester Citys Champions League hopes in tatters at the Etihad Stadium. The visitors had the lions share of possession in the first half but failed to cause home goalkeeper Joe Hart too many problems. City soaked up the pressure well and carved out a few opportunities of their own, but Demichelis foul on Messi early in the second half represented a turning point. The defender was dismissed for bringing his fellow Argentine down after he had been played in by a sublime Andres Iniesta pass, and Messi duly stroked home the resulting spot-kick for his seventh goal in four Champions League outings this term. Barcas control over proceedings inevitably grew with their numerical advantage, and Alves added a second in the closing moments from close range - dealing a huge blow to Citys chances of progression. Alvaro Negredo was Citys only out-and-out striker as Manuel Pellegrini looked to bolster his midfield and counter Barcelonas considerable attacking threat, while Gerardo Martino opted for Cesc Fabregas in place of Pedro. The hosts struggled to get a touch on the ball in the opening stages as their visitors stroked it around with ease but, despite the Spanish champions early dominance, it was two of the home sides Iberian imports who carved out the first chance of the match - David Silva playing in Negredo, who failed to find the net from a tight angle. For an encounter between two of the worlds most technically gifted sides, the deadlock was almost broken in the scrappiest of manners in the 25th minute, as Victor Valdes failure to deal with a Silva free-kick sparked havoc in the Barca penalty area. The goalkeeper eventually got back to his feet to claim the loose ball. Messi got his first sight of goal on the half-hour mark but scooped a right-footed effort over the crossbar, before Xavi forced Joe Hart into a diving save with a speculative effort from 20 yards.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 05:44:47 +0000
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